The Leadership Factor
by MarquiseWanda
Summary: After the fall of the Digimon Kaiser, Daisuke has reasons to believe Ken should join the Chosen Children. However, he soon realises it is not only Ken who is met with doubt, but Daisuke himself. The quality of his leadership is put to the test. In the meanwhile, a mysterious woman is after Ken, and Daisuke is determined to save him at the risk of his own life... and his leadership.


Chapter 1

At last. The bed was thoroughly set and the surface of the desk was clean and empty of useless objects. The tiny cars and plastic guns, usually scattered on the dusty floor, were now carefully tidied in boxes for the wooden surface to show off its cleanliness. The numerous video games were for once in the right sets, all neatly placed below the library. Without the countless food packets and plastic bags, the place looked at least decent.

The woman struggled to keep everything excruciatingly neat in a way her son would never bother. It was a mother's duty to impress the cleanliness of her son's bedroom on her young guests, and their habit not to notice her strenuous efforts to turn the usual unbearable mess into a cosy and comfortable place. Happy children would barge in and fill it with joy, laughter and chatting over trivial matters, as expected of children in their early and mid teens…

"Daisuke! Turn that off and come and help me pack the vacuum cleaner!"

A growl was barely heard from the other side of the room. Daisuke, who obviously couldn't share his mother's concerns to the least, did not bat an eyelid at the request. His fingers mechanically pressed the buttons of his controller, the right combination of which would take him to the next level of his game. His eyes were glued on the television screen, but his mind travelled elsewhere.

His trusted videogame had _nearly_ succeeded in taking his mind off the crucial meeting to be. As the fingers of the clock approached to six, though, he found himself thoroughly unprepared to tackle the growing anxiety clogging his chest. Being a boy, a rather selfish one, in fact, it was easier for him to pretend he didn't care and when the time came, he would just play it off the cuff.

But the time did come and he nearly shuddered when the doorbell rang, seven minutes before six o'clock. Only one of his guests would be so zealously punctual, and he knew exactly which one. Ignoring the oddly unsettling feeling in his leaden stomach, he rushed to the door to welcome him.

"Hey… Come in…" he whispered, for fear of upsetting the boy.

The silent guest let himself in tactfully and discreetly, as if afraid of disrupting the air of the room with his presence. In spite of all his gentleness, he seemed to retain an air of superiority. "Thank you for inviting me…" he said with a deep bow.

As if to imitate his guest's taciturn discretion, Daisuke forced a timid smile and said nothing in return. Instead, he simply motioned to his bedroom and the boy soundlessly followed. Originally intending to scold him for carrying the vacuum cleaner to the closet all by herself, the woman stopped when she saw them.

"Mum, this is Ken…" Daisuke whispered as if in guilt and watched the boy politely introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you, Ken! Are you a friend of Hikari-chan and Takeru-san?"

"…He's a friend from the soccer team…" Daisuke rushed to cover up for the uncomfortable tragic irony of her innocent question. "…He doesn't live here in Odaiba…"

"Oh, really? Where do you live, dear?"

"I live in Tamachi…"

For a couple of minutes, Daisuke watched the other boy courteously engaging himself in some pointless conversation with his mother. He observed how kindly he offered answers to her questions, and he didn't miss how pleased his own mother seemed with him. A slight pang of jealousy snaked up his heart when he thought for a moment that these comme-il-faut social graces were the ones his mother wanted for her own overenthusiastic, spontaneous and clumsy children to exhibit before guests and the elderly.

"Would you like some tea, boys?" The vivid tone of that question of hers seemed to break him out of his trance.

"That would be lovely, thank you so much." Ken replied with an earnest bow and followed Daisuke, who was now in his room.

With the door softly shutting behind him, Daisuke found himself unusually silent. Ken himself marvelled at the odd behaviour of the other boy. He watched his host taking a pensive stroll and, finding the premises of his bedroom too limited to exhaust his anxiety, he gracelessly collapsed on the floor.

"Take a seat" Daisuke motioned to his bed.

Somewhat imperious, Ken rejected the comfort of the offered seat and positioned himself on the hard floor, right next to his host. His silence, however, offered little to start a conversation with and Daisuke found himself torn between wishing for the others to come eventually and keeping it as awkward as it already was.

In the meanwhile, Ken was familiarising himself with his surroundings. He observed the furniture and objects around him, in an attempt to detect traces of Daisuke's own personality, but offered no comments or conclusions. Daisuke felt vulnerable against such scrutiny of his person carried out in utter voicelessness.

"It was very nice of you to come…" he said in attempt to distract his guest, surprised at his own gentleness. "I'm sure the others will be here any minute… It's not like them to be late…"

"They don't know I'm here, do they?"

"The truth is, they would get a little pissed if they did…"

"Then why am I here?"

Daisuke shrugged. "Can't answer that. I invited you for my reasons, but you came for your own."

Ken smiled at the randomly evasive comeback while Daisuke prided himself on having managed to impress the prodigy. For the sake of his curiosity, Ken rejected his awkwardness and retrieved some of his confidence, which showed itself when he ventured eye contact with his brown-eyed host. The audacity of Ken's indigo eyes threw Daisuke slightly off balance.

"So, do tell me. What are _your _reasons for inviting me?"

The sudden opening of the door saved Daisuke from the speechless puzzle he would inevitably display to his guest's question. Ken noted the relief in which Daisuke let his mother in. "Here's your tea, boys…" the woman said as she placed the tray before them with utmost care, with the doorbell distracting her from her concentration.

She vanished to answer the door, while Daisuke and Ken exchanged electrified looks. Soon, the air of the house filled with carefree conversations and comments, and Daisuke could recognise the voices of Taichi, Yamato, Hikari, Takeru, Iori, and the bellowing of Miyako, of course, all kindly telling his mother they didn't want any beverages. Guilt he was very much certain he shouldn't be feeling infested him with their voices, because he knew none of them would look just as cheerful as soon as they stepped into his bedroom.

Miyako was the first one who showed herself and the rest of them clashed on her back with an equally shocked expression. Eyes widened, mouths dropped open, the Chosen exchanged looks of curiosity, bewilderment and wrath.

"Close the door" Daisuke said, having regained his leader status and intentions in the meanwhile.

Sensing his concerns about his mother strolling about the other side of the apartment, cheerfully preparing to accommodate her son's guests, Hikari stepped backwards and shut the door quietly.

Considerably less considerate than his sister, Taichi stepped forward to face Ken. "Bastard!" he exclaimed, hot-tempered as always and his grips tightened about Ken's shirt, pulling him on his feet like a fish on a hook. The blue-haired boy looked at him calmly, carefully veiling his disappointment at the spontaneity of the Chosen's reaction. Taichi's fists curled and Ken, believing he was truly worth it, clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for the punch.

"Hey!" Daisuke intervened and, momentarily putting all his admiration for the older Chosen aside, grabbed Ken by the shoulders and pulled him away. He abruptly placed himself inbetween his two idols. "Taichi-senpai, please..."

"Taichi-san, please, pull yourself together…" a second soothing voice was heard in union. It was Yamato. Taichi allowed his friend to pull him away while Daisuke straightened Ken's crumbled shirt. Ken cast a grateful glance over him in the meanwhile, but Daisuke did not notice.

His hands rested on the other's chest, feeling Ken's heartbeats multiplying. "Are you alright?" Shy of Daisuke's eyes, Ken simply nodded not to draw attention to his turmoil and sat on the floor, hoping Daisuke's hand hadn't sensed his accelerating pulse.

"I'm not staying in the same room as him" Iori stated rigidly.

"Daisuke-kun…" Hikari started and the boy was devastated to trace disappointment even in that gentleness that was always her.

"Why, Daisuke-san? Why?" Taichi repeated, with the forced, benevolent patience one was wont to show when dealing with a retarded, or Daisuke's blunders.

Miyako shook her head disappointed. "Always Daisuke… Always acts impulsively, without the little bit of thinking beforehand…"

"Everyone, sit down, please" the host said firmly, feeling his composure particularly frail.

Ken watched the children taking a seat on the floor, more out of curiosity than because their leader had instructed them so. They all consciously avoided sitting next to Ken, one or two even offering glares of disgust. Seeing them all positioned at a considerable distance, Daisuke proudly and stubbornly took his place next to the sorrowful boy so as to display his acceptance. As a token of appreciation, Ken stood up with an air of composure he definitely did not have at that moment and turned on the radio, raising the volume.

"Thank you" Daisuke told him with a forced smile, but Ken did not acknowledge him. Instead, he resumed his seat next to him and his eyes remained glued on the floor, hoping this would somehow mask his growing discomfort.

"Why is he here, Daisuke-kun?" Takeru asked calmly, suppressing all his anger in case he was to receive a phenomenally good excuse.

"He is here because I think we should all hear him out—"

"I think we should throw him out, instead—"

"Iori-san!"

"I have nothing to say to murderers! It's too much to even ask us to be in the same room as him!"

"_He _is my guest, no less than any of you, and you're all in _my_ house! I'm asking you to respect _me _and _my guests_ and be civil!"

Iori crossed his hands before his chest and having nothing civil to contribute, he retired from the conversation.

"Toying with the dark forces and turning them against us is not worth of my respect!" Takeru retorted in the calm manner he was required to adopt. "Have you forgotten, Daisuke-kun?"

"The Digital World has lost its balance, innocent creatures were hurt because of him, how can you ask us to forgive him?"

"Forget about the Digital World, or the innocent creatures!" Miyako cut in furiously. "What about _you, _Daisuke-san? _You_ were the one he targeted on more than anyone else! He trapped you and tied you on a cliff! He made you bow down to him just because, quote on quote, _having you squirm before him is so delicious!_ Have you _forgiven _that, too?"

"He humiliatedyou, Daisuke-san!" Taichi pointed out with that typical boyish pride of his Daisuke could also recognise on himself. "He _humiliated_ you!"

Ken's indigo eyes were now fully focused on Daisuke, examining his difficulty to produce a convincing answer to that particular point. He traced embarrassment and awkwardness that burdened him with further guilt.

"He captured Agumon!" Yamato added, receiving a supporting look from Taichi.

"Yes, yes, I know all those things as well as _you _all do, I was there along your side and I fought him just as you did… maybe a lot more… But we fought him because he was bad, which he isn't anymore, so, what's the point in keeping fighting him? We shouldn't be having this kind of power over someone like us!"

"He is _nothing_ like us!" Iori snapped. "How dare you compare him to any of us? What is the matter with you?"

Ken was intrigued at how stoically Daisuke was coming in for everyone's fierce criticism. What he was particularly interested in, though, was _why _the leader of the Chosen had volunteered to go through this complete disapproval.

"Our intentions are all the same now, what makes _you _superior to him?"

"Iori is right... What is the matter with you? Why should we treat him as an equal?" Hikari complained slightly agitated with the obvious injustice.

"Because he _is _an equal! A Chosen Child, no less than you, or me or any of us!"

Ken watched how greatly the leader of the Chosen strived to abstain from throwing one of his usual tantrums. He felt his sympathies should lie with Daisuke, nevertheless, he shared the other children's beliefs as well. Even though he was perfectly conscious of his now benevolent motives, he could justify the Chosen's mistrust, as he could not account for their leader's trust.

"A Chosen Child who has tried to kill us… more than once! Why should we trust him, Daisuke-kun?"

"Because I say so, Takeru-kun!"

"Do you want us to plunge into each and every insanity you come up with at one time or another just because _you say so_? Today you want us to make friends with a villain, what's it going to be tomorrow?"

"He's _not _a villain, Miyako-san!"

Surely, Ken was intelligent enough to bring forward persuasive and passionate arguments. He was sorrowful and regretful enough to support them. Nevertheless, desperate though he was for the other Chosen Children's forgiveness and approval, he selfishly abstained from speaking for himself. His curiosity for the leader's faith in him got the better of him and compelled him to selfish silence, letting Daisuke prove just how much he believed in Ken and _why_.

"How do we know you're right and we're wrong?" Takeru added.

"What's that you said?" Daisuke returned with something that Ken couldn't find in his voice earlier; _spite._ Even though he couldn't quite decide what might have triggered it, he was inclined to believe it wasn't Takeru's comment as much as Daisuke's disappointment that he himself was doubted and nobody else was willing to support him.

Yamato threw a glare at the redhead. "Behave yourselves!" he warned, with the responsibility of a grown-up.

"Daisuke-kun!" Hikari started up. "I'm not going to sit around, seeing you degrading your friends for the sake of our _enemies!"_ Daisuke sensed she was too angry with him to at least acknowledge the benevolence of his motives, as her wont gentleness would otherwise have resulted in.

"I'm coming with you!"

"Sure, follow Hikari-chan, Takeru…" Daisuke hissed with bile. "After all, that's what you always do…"

Both children turned to face him, along with Ken, who was curious to know why such a reaction of those two could have irritated Daisuke so tactlessly. Hikari's blank face betrayed nothing, while Takeru's light blush at the comment's exposure indicated immense fury. Ken could clearly see the blonde no longer cared to debate and argue; he barely cared enough to make sense anymore. All that truly mattered to him in this whirlwind of turmoil and exasperation was to hurl and _hurt. _And he was very certain Daisuke was reckless and spontaneous enough to fall into this trap.

"This is not about accepting _him, _this is about accepting _you, _isn't it?"

"Shut up, Takeru!"

"Daisuke-kun!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Behave yourselves!" Yamato repeated to soothe the building tension.

"Why should we just trust your _inspired leadership_ and _insightful decisions_ when there is none to find? You've been lucky once or twice before, that doesn't make you a good leader, that doesn't even make you a _leader!"_

Daisuke felt his hands curl into fists. "Daisuke-san," Taichi offered sympathetically, "take it easy…" He sprang up and touched the boy on the shoulder, hoping to bring him to his senses.

"_A leader _is supposed to defend and protect the weaker ones!" the redhead retorted, referring to the soundless boy who still stubbornly refrained from contributing anything.

"You're not Taichi-senpai, Daisuke!" From the expression on the redhead's face, Ken gathered how much this particular comment must have hurt him. "And you don't become one by standing up for your _boyfriend!_"

"Takeru!" Yamato spat out admonishingly.

"I wonder if you truly care a fig about me _following Hikari-chan_, as you say since you've been all over him since we stepped into your bedroom—"

"Takeru!" Yamato growled once more.

Furious with the inappropriate comment, Daisuke hurled a punch at the blonde, who collapsed on the door with a loud thump. On the verge of striking again, the redhead felt a powerful fist tugging his wrist and pulling him backwards.

Daisuke turned around to find Ken, unclasping his wrist and retiring the other hand from his host's waist. The two boys' glances locked, and under the burden of rigid severity in Ken's indigo eyes, Daisuke felt himself coming to his senses. No sooner had Hikari knelt to check on Takeru, than Daisuke came across a very hard punch himself. But for Ken holding him, the boy would have collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"How dare you touch my little brother?" Yamato hissed, grasping Daisuke from his shirt. Taichi quickly leapt on his feet and pulled his friend away, trying to soothe him in the meanwhile.

"Now, look what you've done, Daisuke… You and your brilliant ideas…" Miyako pointed out sarcastically, a tone Daisuke was not quite capable of handling at that particular moment.

"Is _he _worth it?" Iori added contemptuously, leading Daisuke to exasperation.

"Shut up, all of you! Enough is enough!" He turned to Taichi. "You gave me your goggles because you thought I could be a good leader… Where is any of that faith you put to me that day? You have heard them all accusing me, one after the other, and what did you do to defend me?"

"Daisuke-san, what kind of a leader would you be if you needed someone else other than yourself to defend your choices?"

"Yes, but _what _is it I must defend myself against? My partners? My faith into someone who repents and wants to atone for his sins? Who are we to deprive him of this right? Is this why we're the Chosen? To see ourselves superior to everyone else? Is it our mission to go around punishing people instead of accepting their repentance? We shouldn't have such power over people! We are meant to _protect, _not to _punish _anyone! Punishing Ken doesn't make us any different from what Ken used to be, because we should protect him for being the same as us! Isn't that the leader's duty? Isn't a leader meant to _protect? _If not, I don't deserve to be a leader because I'll never be the leader you want me to be!" With that speech, Daisuke removed the set of goggles off his head and tossed them on the floor, before Taichi's feet.

"Daisuke-san…" Taichi faltered out disappointed, but the redhead had stubbornly turned his back to everyone.

Supporting Takeru, who was slightly dizzy with the punch he had just received, Hikari opened the door and left, slamming it behind her in fury. Daisuke knew it had been her without even turning around to see who had left, and her attitude had wounded him. Ken did not miss the disappointment her reaction had given the redhead. Daisuke knew she was kind enough to acknowledge his intentions and actions and justify them to a certain extent, but, being too angry, she had chosen not to give way to that reason and gentleness that were so typical of her.

With a perplexed exchange of glances, Yamato and Taichi decided to follow their siblings. Miyako and Iori communicated the same determination with a silent look and cast a disappointed glimpse over Daisuke before they, too, opened the door and vanished.

The disastrous turnout of the meeting that had left him alone with Daisuke awoke Ken back to his reason. Seeing the other boy stubbornly refusing to turn around and face him, he realised he should have spoken, rather than leaving Daisuke handle this all by himself. It was, after all, his fight, not Daisuke's.

His eyes fell on the pair of goggles on the floor. Having gathered just how important that pair of goggles was to Daisuke, Ken collected them with utmost care and placed them on the desk.

"Daisuke..." he whispered, but the other boy felt too proud to turn.

No less stubborn himself, Ken decisively faced the redhead and, in spite of all the resistance he was met with, he grabbed the boy by the shoulders. Daisuke nervously fidgeted out of the grip and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, vainly hoping to quench his emerging tears.

Ken tactfully turned a blind eye to the other boy's overwhelming emotion. Instead, he lowered to the floor, where Daisuke's mother had left the tea tray, and grabbed a napkin. He turned to his host and gently patted it over his lips to collect the blood running below his nostrils.

Originally curious with Ken's gesture, Daisuke ended up squirming under the burden of the other boy's touch on his wounded face.

"…Does it hurt…?"

"No!" he exclaimed proudly, twitching once more when Ken gently trailed his finger on his purplish, bruised cheekbone.

"Your eye is black, you know... And so is your nose"

"Damn you, Yamato..." Daisuke admitted, too fed up to keep up the pretences. An uncomfortable silence prevailed, probably because both boys retraced the events from Yamato's punch to Takeru's awkward and indecent comment, but they both resorted to defensive silence and decided it would be better not to bring it up. Ken lowered his head and licked his lips pensively before he sprang up and barged out of the bedroom.

He came back, holding a towel full of icecubes. Both boys figured Daisuke's mother had left, since she had not interfered at all with Ken's searching about the refrigerator. Daisuke stretched out his hand to receive the full towel, but Ken made no motion to relinquish it. Instead, he gestured at Daisuke to tilt his head backwards and held the towelled icecubes against the bruised skin to cool the pain and suppress the swelling. His other hand rested on Daisuke's chest; it was his turn now to absorb the redhead's multiplying heartbeats of rueful turbulence.

"You don't have to do this—"

"I know." Ken audaciously stated, making Daisuke smile. Silence blanketed the room once more. They looked one another in the eye, too proud and timid to say _thank you. _So, they said nothing.

Given the privacy and the vulnerability, it would be the perfect moment for Ken to press the matter and ask Daisuke once more what he had been trying to find out all evening. But noting the exhausted expression of wounded pride on the redhead's face, Ken decided to keep his thoughts and questions to himself and therefore remained quiet until he left the apartment.

Interlude

The regrettable crisis among the Chosen Children in Daisuke's house was soon forgotten. The kids were all willing to let bygones be bygones and dealt with the unfortunate incident good-humouredly. Therefore, two days later, the children were all cheerfully chatting as if the fight in question had never happened.

Daisuke was not one to hold any grudges. Being always ready to forgive anyone no matter what the circumstance, he had easily accepted his friends' genuine apologies. He was no longer upset with Miyako's sharp sarcasm or the intolerance Iori had displayed towards him that day. He had already forgotten about Hikari's frustration or even Takeru's inappropriate comments. Himself, he was truly sorry to have punched the blonde, probably much sorrier than having received that blow from his brother in retaliation. Being good-willed by nature, he had kindly given way even to the criticism they had placed on the quality of his leadership. All he cared about was to be embraced by his friends as before.

However, apart from the bruises on his face, they had all noticed the most striking absence of Taichi's goggles on Daisuke's head and they knew the child would not go back on his word just as easily; as a leader of the Chosen, he had made it his business to protect them all; and that included Ken. And he wouldn't acknowledge himself as a leader until he had done so.

Troubled though the children were with Daisuke's mysterious and inexplicable resolution, they kindly abstained from bringing the matter forward, for fear of a similar turmoil arising. After all, their course of action was clear enough in their heads, and they were quite stiff on their decision not to include the former Kaiser in their group or future plans regarding the rescue of the Digital World.

Daisuke was just as stiff on his decision about Ken, though. Endlessly supplied with determination, strong will and courage to pursue it, Daisuke lacked nothing but a tactful tactic to achieve his plan. He hadn't spoken to Ken since that fatal day in his apartment, and he wasn't sure if he needed to press the boy further on the matter. Due to pure instincts, and not innate discretion, he had somehow figured the former Kaiser needed some time with himself before jumping to any conclusions. Unbearable though he found the waiting, Daisuke had unwillingly complied, keeping himself busy in the meanwhile with mundane school duties he had never taken an interest in before, and community service in the Digital World with the Chosen Children.

The fall of the Digimon Kaiser and the end of his vicious reign, however, had not redressed the disrupted balance of the Digital World, as the Chosen were hoping. On the contrary, a new crisis seemed to be on the cards, the cloaked masterminds of which had yet to appear. Both the children and the Digimon were exposed to evil machinations which, Daisuke was certain, Ken was not responsible for. The rest of the children, however, did not share the same confidence.

In fact, they felt their disbelief was more than justified when they travelled back to the Digital World to take up the reconstruction of a destroyed village that had suffered Chimeramon's wrath. No sooner had they landed on the area, than they noticed; another Dark Tower stood contemptuously where there had been nothing but innocent, tormented soil the day before. It had been erected overnight, like all those other Dark Towers they had come across after the fall of the Digimon Kaiser.

The Chosen Children exchanged wondering glances, silently agreeing and communicating the same thought. Only Daisuke's eyes were fixed on the Tower, filled with absolute bewilderment. The more silence prevailed among them, the more certain they were they needed to let Daisuke know the one thing he didn't want to hear.

"Daisuke-kun… I am so sorry…" Hikari wooed, placing an affectionate hand on his shoulder. "How kind of you to forgive him that easily… and how vicious of him to repay you that way!"

"He betrayed your trust, Daisuke-kun!"

"Don't say that, Takeru-kun… I'm sure he's innocent and there's a very good explanation for this…"

"Then who has put up all these Dark Towers?" Iori questioned more certain than perplexed.

"It wasn't Ken!"

"When was the last time you talked?"

"He has nothing to do with it!"

"Have you talked since that day in your house?"

Daisuke lowered his head in defensive silence.

"If even you haven't talked to him, how can you be so sure he is not involved? _Why is it so easy for you to trust him?_" Iori went on as gently as he could.

"I… I've told you before…" he whispered, lowering his head embarrassed.

"_That you can feel his heart?_" Miyako pointed out far from accusingly. "What kind of evidence is this?"

"I don't know how to convince you of this and I'm not going to keep trying… All I know and all I care about is that, as long as we don't know what we're coming up against, the Digital World is in danger, which means _we _are in danger, and so is Ken!"

As he had anticipated, none of the Chosen contributed anything to this. Being the only one truly convinced by the power of his own words, Daisuke lowered his head in disappointment and sighed.

The rest of the evening passed in complete speechlessness. The children destroyed the Dark Tower and went back to reconstruction. They all frequently exchanged wondering glances of concern and cast worried looks over Daisuke; it wasn't like him to be so silent.

The sun set and the night fell in that orange purplish digital colour that was so typical of that world. Soon, the sky gave way to complete, unblemished darkness. No longer able to keep up with the reconstructions, the Chosen decided to go to their houses for dinner and return to the Digital World come the dawn to pick up their work. They all looked more than willing to dedicate their entire weekend to this purpose alone.

"We'll meet at Miyako-san's tomorrow at nine!" Daisuke concluded with his usual grin and the rest of them looked one another gratefully for their leader coming to his senses.

Passing through the gate, the children ended up in a usual heap in the computer lab of the Odaiba Elementary School. Takeru stretched his arms to the ceiling as Miyako complained about starving. Hikari patted the dust off her pink clothes and Iori wondered if his grandfather would be too tired to have some kendo practice with him by the time he came home…

"Look at that!"

Daisuke was too absorbed to pay attention to them or offer any comments himself. His eyes were glued on the window.

"What is it, Daisuke-kun?"

His friends gathered around him to see what had caught the leader's eye. They stared out of the window only to realise there was absolutely nothing exceptional about it or whatsoever.

"Well, what is it?"

Daisuke jumped back. He rubbed his eyes in amazement. "Didn't you see it?"

"See what?"

"Well, I _saw _a Dark Tower over there!" he exclaimed, pointing to blankness.

"Daisuke-san, there is _nothing _there!"

"Yes, there isn't anything _now, _but I _saw _it a couple of seconds ago! It… it shimmered and vanished into thin air!"

So flustered was Takeru, he even forgot to pick up his hat on his way out of the house. On a second look, he had even forgotten to change out of his pyjamas.

"Takeru-kun!"

He recognised the familiar voice and turned around in relief. "Hikari-chan! I was going downstairs to Miyako-san…"

"You saw it, too?"

They didn't have the time to wait for the lift; they ran down the stairs madly and he rang Miyako's doorbell three times in a row, mentally cursing at himself for his own rudeness.

"Miyako-san!" the boy cried breathless. "I was watching—"

"So were we… Come in!"

They let themselves in the apartment, finding Iori on the floor, practically glued on the television.

"I sent an e-mail to Koushiro-senpai… Have you called the others?"

"My brother and Sora-san are on their way… Takeru-kun called Yamato-senpai…"

"I sent an e-mail to Jyou-senpai, he's on his way…" Iori added.

"Miyako-san, turn it up!" Takeru cried as he landed next to the boy. Miyako grabbed the tv remote and pressed the volume button anxiously.

…_The local authorities are in distress as they seem to be absolutely clueless about the mysterious black towers that have been erected in Odaiba and Tamachi overnight. In the meanwhile, several people have evacuated their households as strange creatures have appeared along with the black buildings in the aforementioned areas. The train stations in Odaiba and Tamachi, along with Odaiba's port, are infested with terrorised civilians trying to evacuate the inflicted areas…_

"Just like three years ago…" Takeru sighed, looking at Hikari.

…_Mysteriously enough, the government seems unable to provide the media with any information on the matter, as the records from the disastrous invasion of the monsters in Odaiba three years ago appear to have vanished into thin air. The situation is gradually slipping out of hand, as the militia and the National Guard seem unable to control the immense creatures and protect the civilians… The sudden and inexplicable appearance of the mysterious monsters evokes painful memories from the monstrosities shaking Odaiba three years ago…_

"How did this happen?" Hikari mumbled perplexed. "How did these Digimon enter our world?"

"It's the Dark Towers… If people can see all those Dark Towers, then the Dark Tower Daisuke-kun saw yesterday was no mirage either… He was right!"

That thought of Takeru broke Miyako out of her own stream of thoughts. "Daisuke-san… Where is Daisuke-san?"

The rest of the children returned nothing but wondering looks and further perplexity.

"Has any of you talked to him since yesterday?"

"I called him this morning to fill him in about the news…" Takeru pondered. "I didn't reach him…"

Iori shook his head in agreement. "Neither did I… And he hasn't replied to any of the messages I sent on his D-Terminal…"

"That makes three of us…" Miyako murmured worried. "I sent him a message just before Takeru-kun and Hikari-chan came here!"

"I called him right before I left home…" Hikari remembered. "His sister picked up the phone, she said he was out…"

Miyako smiled optimistically. "Then, he must be on his way…"

"He should be here by now…"

"What do you mean, Takeru-kun?" Suddenly, Hikari looked horrified with a dreadful thought that crossed her mind. "Do you think something bad happened to Daisuke-kun?"

Her voice subsided as soon as her eyes fell on the television. She approached and the rest of the children turned to look as well, having all their attention absorbed by a _very familiar_ blue light beaming into the living room.

…_According to our latest sources of information, the new monster that has appeared in Tamachi carries a boy on his back…_

"Was that—"

"Yes, Hikari-chan…" Takeru placed an affectionate hand about her waist, while mentally replaying his regretful latest confrontation with their mistrusted leader. "That's just Daisuke-kun…"

Chapter 2

"Get serious, Daisuke! I can't run any faster on all these ruins!" the Digimon complained as he jumped over the debris. "You'll fall off!"

Raidramon's paws were greeted with broken pieces of cement as soon as he landed on the slashed asphalt. Debris was scattered along the sides. The furious stampede of a pack of Monochromon running ahead of them had certainly taken its toll on what used to be Tamachi's busiest and broadest avenue. Daisuke could now see but a few vehicles, crushed under the ruins of collapsed buildings and street lamps. His heart leapt with disappointment.

"I'll be fine… Just hurry up!" Daisuke clang on his partner's back, anxiously looking around. The grey stillness of the deserted area had left him heavily disoriented.

He cast a puzzled look on his D-3. "We're getting closer!" His lips smiled hopefully when he saw that red beeping spot. Nevertheless, the growing proximity of his target perplexed him. "Why isn't he moving?"

"Maybe he's fighting… Don't worry, Daisuke! We'll find him!"

Daisuke offered nothing but silence to his partner's insubstantial speculation. He assumed Raidramon himself was well aware Ken couldn't be fighting when the presence of so many Dark Towers around had rendered evolution practically impossible. However, he supposed his Digimon's comment was one of his many attempts throughout that ride to console Daisuke, who was increasingly concerned about Ken's fortune.

"_He's hiding… What else could he do? I hope that's all…"_

His optimistic thoughts were squelched in sight of the black building majestically looming in the distance. Daisuke held his breath as he felt the bleak construction contemptuously towering him and his partner.

"_Blue Thunder!"_

Raidramon's attack struck the malicious building low, bending it to the ground. Daisuke felt shivering chills down his spine as he was engulfed by its black shadow. Absorbed as he was, watching the tower falling on him, Raidramon evaded it by jumping away. Daisuke nearly forgot to grip on his partner's back, almost falling off as the Dark Tower crashed onto the ground, quaking the fractured earth underneath them.

Daisuke clenched on his D3 once more, tracing the red dot closer to his own. The realisation struck him in a way he had not envisaged. He looked around anxiously, bracing himself to face Ken any moment now.

Busy as he was casting glances around, he did not see why Raidramon's feet abruptly came to a halt. So sudden was the stop, Daisuke shuddered on the Digimon's back before he lost his balance and fell on the ground, flat on his back.

Upon turning around, the redhead saw a large Triceramon hovering him and his Digimon. Its aggressive intentions showed when it aimed its double horn against Raidramon. Daisuke clenched his teeth upon the vicious attack, because it was an unequal battle and he knew it.

In nanoseconds –because that was the most Daisuke could devote to thinking— he flipped his thoughts to determine what course of action was the wisest to follow. Instead of forcing his Digimon to an unequal fight against Triceramon, he could use Raidramon to demolish the remaining Dark Towers. In that case, if he eventually traced Ken, his Digimon would be able to evolve as well and Raidramon would have an ally…

"Deal with Triceramon! I'll go find Ken!" Daisuke ran away without looking behind.

The loud howling on his back soon confirmed what he dreaded; Raidramon was losing the fight. His fear of dealing with this on his own, though, was no match for his steel and rigid determination.

For a moment he paused, looking around as if there was something he had missed. Daisuke checked his D3 again and held his breath when he found Ken's beeping dot very right on his own. Inertia prevailed to his left while a loud rumbling forced an end to stillness and made him turn to the right. A couple of blocks away, a vast, grey building was shaking down to its roots. Daisuke could see it shuddering after Triceramon's collision on it and he kept his breath. "Ken!" His screams were all in vain now; no sound could rise above that rumbling. He cautiously looked about, grateful for not spotting any sign of the boy within the proximity of the collapsing building.

The whole ground growled as the decomposing cement fell apart. Daisuke lost his balance to the vibrations beneath him and found himself on his knees. Dust rose up in the air, quickly knitting a thick fog. The atmosphere was becoming too dense and brown, and breathing in would be a rather feeble idea.

"…K—Ken!… Wh—ere are you…?" Daisuke, of course, ignored common sense completely, as it was typical of him, and strived to make himself heard over the chaos. Mysteriously enough, he was surprised when he felt the vicious dust sneaking up his lungs after his screams and suffocating him. His hard coughing did nothing to alleviate his discomfort. His sight was temporarily impaired as his eyes became red and sore, with tears emerging to fight off the dust.

Turning his back to the collapsed block of flats, and with all his senses blocked, Daisuke moved away; himself, curious where it was he was heading for. Running wildly on such debris was impossible for humans or Digimon, as his partner had kindly pointed out but minutes ago. Lost in his furious pursuit and the density of the cloud of dust, Daisuke felt his foot captured in the sharp edges of broken concrete and fell flat on his stomach.

Checking on himself in haste, he saw nothing at all. He did feel a sharp, sour pain stinging his legs, though. He curled up and only then did he notice how roughly his knees had rubbed on the splintered asphalt. The panging pain, the uselessness of his very senses in the face of disaster along with his partner's hopeless and unequal fight, made him sadly conscious of how helpless he truly was.

Daisuke huffed, bringing his bleeding knees close to his chest. He found himself ragingly embittered by the loneliness his duty entailed, picturing just how easier it would be if the others had joined him… or if he had joined them.

"They made their choice… and I made _mine!" _he scoffed as he leapt back on his feet. Without his friends' collective efforts, Daisuke was unfortunately left on his own resources. He threw one last contemptuous glimpse on his bleeding members before he started running again; slightly limping this time.

"Ken! Ken! Answer me! _Ken!_" His screams echoed in the now soundless distance and he could feel them hit back on his face like a breeze as he ran. Daisuke became puzzled upon his D3's persistence that his target was to be found nearby. "Isn't he moving _at all?"_ His eyes glazed with the horror of a bleak thought, but he found himself too optimistic –or too stubborn— to deal with it.

All of a sudden, Daisuke saw Raidramon zooming by. Triceramon had thrown him on a street lamp, which was uprooted from the cement ground as soon as Raidramon's back exploded on it. He degenerated to V-Mon and lay fainted and helpless on the torn pavement, while the column was falling on his partner. Daisuke's multiple injuries did not allow him to be agile enough; he clenched his eyes shut and braced himself. It was too late.

He found himself overpowered with burden that threw him off his feet and rubbed his tortured body harshly on the rough and fractured asphalt. His heart nearly pounded out of his chest; heavy and persistent. The clatter of the falling object nearly deafened him…

"_Ken!"_

Daisuke was met by a pair of indigo eyes drilling into his own. But for his tormented body suffering under the burden of Ken, he would have started up with surprise. In a fusion of relief and bewilderment, he looked around and found the street lamp he had just been rescued from, soullessly lying a couple of feet away.

"What are you doing here, Daisuke-kun?"

"…Saving you…"

"I can see that…" Judging from the redhead's face, Ken could clearly see Daisuke was in no condition to appreciate any criticism, however constructively offered.

Daisuke felt long, blue hair brushing his shoulders and face, along with a body harshly rubbing against his own as Ken leapt back to his feet. He offered a helping hand, which Daisuke took and got up. He ran to collect his bedraggled V-Mon into his arms.

"Daisuke… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, V-Mon! You did your best! We'll find a way…" It was then he noticed Ken's green Digimon, crawling out of their shelter of debris to stand beside his partner with loyalty. Wormmon offered no greeting speech to welcome him, but in his eyes, Daisuke could see all his relief and appreciation.

On the other hand, Ken was overpowered with unbearable guilt at the helplessness of Daisuke and V-Mon. He grabbed the redhead by the shoulders and shook him with abrupt violence. "Daisuke! You need to leave!"

The suggested tactic was certainly not greeted with Daisuke's approval. "I didn't come all the way here to leave! I'm here to _fight!"_

"This is not _your_ fight, Daisuke-kun!"

"That's for me to decide!"

Suddenly, the earth beneath them roared, smitten with ruthless galloping. The children found themselves unfortunately exposed to the Triceramon that still raged free. The leader looked over his shoulder and spotted the cache of debris Ken and Wormmon had been hiding in before he came. In spite of his own will, Ken was pushed inside first and pulled Daisuke in shortly afterwards.

"Idiot! You value your life for nothing, then?"

"I value it as highly as yours!"

"Nonsense! How reckless of you to go to such great lengths just to prove Takeru wrong and all you've actually done is prove him _right!_"

"Well, I see it is not _I _who value my life for nothing but _you _are! Why would you think you're only worth to be saved so that I can prove Takeru-kun right or wrong? Do you truly think your life's good for nothing but making a point?"

"If your challenged leadership is _not _the reason why you serve your head up on a plate, then _what is it?"_

"It's not I who serves my head up on a plate, but _you! _Drop the act and spare me with all that concern of yours about _my _life, cause it is not _my _life you care to save but _yours _to sacrifice! Haven't you forgiven yourself _at all, _then?"

The two boys remained staring at one another, both of them wondering which one would stop being defensive first and betray his true motives. On no accounts had Ken expected the leader of the Chosen Children to be as insightful as his arguments made him. Nevertheless, he had anticipated he would be reckless enough to break first.

"You're wrong… It is not Takeru-kun who has challenged my leadership, but _you… _As long as you're in danger, I will never call myself a _leader _again! As long as your life is at stake, so is my so-called _leadership! _And I will rescue them both by protecting _you! _I'm here because I want to protect you!"

"And I'm asking you to leave because I want to protect _you… _After everything I've done to the Digimon, the Chosen and _you…" _There he paused, bringing a very specific incident to mind. His dirty trick to bring Daisuke on his knees before him still abhorred him with great embarrassment that even Daisuke's forgiveness –if ever conquered—couldn't obliterate. The recollection gave a light blush on his cheeks, which Daisuke did not notice._ "_You don't deserve to be sacrificed for someone like _me_…"

Daisuke scoffed, brimming with fake confidence. "I didn't come all the way here to lose you _or _be lost._"_

"_That remains to be seen…"_

The female voice followed by a snicker echoed sinister between them. Despite its stifling proximity, the boys were unable to trace it until a shadow brushed over them and forced them out of their shelter. Bracing themselves for the worst and most powerful opponent the Digimon world had in store for them, they both ferreted out only to find themselves before… a woman.

They eyed the creature in astonishment. Yes, she was a _human, _she looked no less human than either of them or any other human they had ever known. Instead of being reassured that her level of powers could under no circumstances be superior to their own, a smug smirk trembling on her lips left them at a loss of words. Even through her large, purple sunglasses, her dekko could be felt instilling fright upon their skin. The whiteness of her long hair draping her stout shoulders could somehow impress the effects of insanity on them both. With their eyes, they followed it down to her waist and noticed how it slightly curled in the end. It was not her purple web gloves with their pointy edges, or the striking red dress covering her whole body that had intrigued Ken. It was the red diamond spider proudly placed on her purple-yellow pinstriped hat. The boy felt an eerie threat engulfing and consuming him, even though he could tell for sure it was not a real spider.

The woman addressed Daisuke first. "_You _shouldn't be here… I made sure you would be busy enough in Odaiba…"

Very conscious of his helplessness so far, and with his loneliness in mind, Daisuke smiled bitterly. "It's being taken care of…"

The woman scoffed at the comeback, which she perceived either as an inflation of arrogance or optimism; little did she know that it was neither. In any case, she ignored it and turned to the other boy. "I would be very flattered, if I were you, Ken… Look at the chaos around you and you will realise to what great lengths I have gone to get you_…"_

Wormmon jumped in front of his partner protectively while Daisuke pushed his arm before Ken, blocking his way forward. "Who are you and what do you want with Ken?"

Ignoring him again, the woman never removed her eyes from Ken. "If you come with me, I promise, I won't hurt your Chosen _friend…" _The contempt he was treated with certainly did not meet with the leader's approval.

Ken clenched his fists and took a step forward, but Daisuke dragged him back rather violently. In response, Ken simply released his wrist from Daisuke's grasp and went on. No sooner had he taken a step than the eerie woman seized him. "Good boy… Now, follow me!"

"Wait! You're not going an—"

"Daisuke!"

The leader's words were choked when a mysterious man in blue viced his neck in the niche of his elbow. Forgetting all about his pain all over his body, Daisuke gasped for air. With the asphyxiating pressure leaving him with very little to do, he started punching on the python arm, but his baby blows caused no harm at all.

Such an effect did the sight have on him, Ken felt his own neck in a vice. "Daisuke…" he faltered out, feeling his entire face convulsed by horror.

"_V-Mon Head!"_

The blue Digimon's attack was rewarded with no success. Devastated with Daisuke's struggle to release himself from the stifling grip, Ken rushed forward to help the suffocating boy. The woman stopped him though, with her gloved fingers snaking about his wrist to pull him back. "I was as good as my word and you want to break your promise?"

"You promised you wouldn't hurt him if I willingly came with you!"

"And I won't… _He _will!"

Both verbal and physical resistance were interrupted by a loud rumbling rising up in the air. The ground shook violently and all eyes turned to the four Dark Towers, all coming to demolishment and collapsing one after the other. Only one was left, hovering above them as before. Familiar with the tactic, the woman bit her lower lip.

"_Holy Arrow!"_

A rainbow lit arrow exploded on the man's back, releasing Daisuke from his python grip. The boy fell down on his knees coughing. Astounded by the arrow that had granted him with freedom, the boy looked behind and found himself overwhelmed with a force of light. His benefactress was a blond angel, with an iron helmet veiling her facial features that must have been truly marvellous. Eight wings, along with a pink ribbon, gracefully loomed behind her back. She looked powerful with light, and determined to strike down with might any evil force attempting to disrupt the balance. In all her glorious majesty, the Digimon prepared a fresh arrow for the woman. Anticipating the attack, she shielded herself with Ken.

"Stop!" Daisuke squealed to his benefactress.

"_Heaven's Knuckle!"_

A harsh blow of golden light made for the fallen man in blue, who leapt to his feet to tackle it. Upwards, Daisuke made out Angemon approaching. Judging from the two angels' striking similarity, and remembering a conversation with Takeru about Patamon and Tailmon evolving to angels, the leader assumed the female angel was the Perfect Level of Hikari's partner. He assumed something terrible must have threatened the girl in Odaiba for her Digimon to reach this natural evolution.

"Stop her!" Daisuke screamed, pointing to the mysterious woman who was dragging Ken away. Brimming with real confidence now, Daisuke completely forgot about his pain and leapt on his feet to pursue her. She seemed truly surprised when Angemon blocked her path to freedom, with Daisuke stealing Ken away from her.

"Daisuke-san!"

Garurumon loomed in the distance, and the leader turned to see Yamato, proudly throned on his back, calling him. As Daisuke had anticipated from their Digimon's earlier appearance, Yamato's little brother was carefully holding Hikari. Having originally resorted to the Armour Evolutions, the Digimon pulled down the Dark Towers in Odaiba, while the children summoned the rest of the Digimon from the Digital World so that Taichi, Sora, Koushiro, Iori and Jyou could tackle the crisis there.

The woman, who had obviously not expected a full-blown confrontation with the entire group of the Chosen, eyed the angel mischievously. "Step aside, if you know what's good for you…"

The angel refused to take orders andthe woman pulled him by his blond hair. Angemon screamed and attempted a similar blow in retaliation. Taking advantage of his surprise, the woman sneaked behind him and seized his neck in the niche of her elbow. Held still in spite of his will, Angemon could not evade a blue electricity wave aiming for him.

Flying above him, Angewomon snatched his gold rod and fired it straight to the thunder, dissecting it to weakness and scattering it to every direction. In the meanwhile, Garurumon's feet came to a halt when he reached Daisuke. Yamato slid to the ground and Takeru jumped off the Digimon's back, helping Hikari get down as well. All three children ran to catch up with their leader, who was running off with the former Kaiser.

With his hands on Ken's shoulders, as if he could indeed protect him like this, Daisuke was pushing him as far from the eerie woman as possible. "She won't get you… I'll take you somewhere safe!"

"_Not so fast…"_

The two boys turned around to find a Digimon they had never seen before; a rotten, human-like body wrapped up in gauze, resembling the most frightening of mummies. He was holding a machine gun strapped about his deteriorating body.

"Who are _you?_"

The rotten Digimon fired against them and a blue wave of electricity splashed out of his weapon to strike them; the same one Angemon had been rescued from but moments ago. _"No!" _Daisuke shielded the blue-haired boy with his own body and received the hard blow on his chest.

"Daisuke!"

With the last Dark Tower being demolished in a distance, Wormmon evolved to Stingmon just in time to protect Yamato, Takeru and Hikari against the fresh electricity wave aiming for them as they were running to their leader.

"_Spiking Finish!"_

The thunder changed direction to explode on a nearby building but thankfully, it wasn't powerful enough to cause any further damage. "You have summoned the entire group of the Chosen_… _So much for your integrity, Ken!" the woman complained.

Hikari fell down on her knees and shook the unconscious boy desperately, while Takeru's eyes remained fixed on the former Kaiser. "Ken… Thank you." he said with guilt.

But the boy did not even turn around; possibly, he hadn't even heard it. The hand he had loosely placed on his chest trembled and stiffened, giving him a petrified expression. It clenched about his shirt, tugging it with fury. "His heart stopped!"

"What did you say?"

"He's right!" Hikari exclaimed in utter shock. "His heart's not beating!"

Takeru and Yamato eyed the former Kaiser, with the puzzled look on their faces giving away the question they weren't asking. Ken's tearful, guilty eyes could not provide any more evidence on his mysteriously accurate statement_. _As if his own heartbeats had suddenly resumed, Ken heaved a sigh of relief and knelt to the unconscious boy's side along with Takeru and Yamato. "Daisuke!" he whispered tugging his arm and, as if in response, the leader opened his eyes.

His expression was one of delight and gratitude when he found all his friends worried above his head. "Idiot!" Ken mumbled relieved. "Your heart stopped beating! Why did you do that?"

"_Glide Horn!"_

The fresh thunder threatening them was instantly eliminated. Hikari raised her head in the air, searching the skies in gratitude for their ally's agility. "Miyako-san!" They all smiled to see her waving at them from Aquilamon's back. The mysterious and nearly simultaneous demolishment of the remaining five Dark Towers but moments ago was no longer a mystery to Ken. No sooner had she landed, than she turned on Koushiro's laptop and pointed her D3 to the screen.

"_Digital Gate Open!" _She turned the laptop to the rotten Digimon, who evaded the powerful light of the screen with agility. Jumping atop of buildings, he vanished out of sight.

Miyako ran back to the rest of the Chosen. "So sorry for the delay, there was a wild pack of Monochromon I had to send back to the Digital World… What happened to Daisuke-san?"

"What about… Triceramon?" the leader returned, ignoring her question.

"What Triceramon, Daisuke-san?"

"…Can't you hear it?"

The Chosen silenced all and indeed, they heard loud stomping in the distance. It was the same Triceramon that Raidramon had been trying to defeat earlier. With a sigh, Miyako took the laptop once again and waited.

The stray Digimon was not late to show itself. So frenzy was its running, it didn't slow down when the children came to sight. But for Daisuke, lying on the ground, they would have all moved away. Instead, they remained on the spot, staring at the Digimon glazed as it was on the verge of stomping them.

Angemon pulled the furious Digimon by the tail in an attempt to put an end to its frantic race. His movement was successful for a moment, giving the children enough time to move away.

Faster than anyone who volunteered, Ken rushed to lift Daisuke from the ground. Ignoring the pain panging his entire body, the leader surrendered to the other boy's help and brought himself back on his feet. Considerate of his excruciating pain, Ken took his arm over his own shoulders and supported Daisuke by the waist, pulling him away from the arena. The redhead's face convulsed with pain at the sudden transportation, even though he recognised that Ken had exhausted his gentleness at risk of his life.

Following Yamato, Takeru and Hikari were the last who ran out of Triceramon's way. The younger blonde pushed her forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, being on the alert to protect her anytime.

The resistant Digimon unleashed from Angemon's grip, whipping his tail against him in retaliation. Angemon avoided the blow easily by soaring above the shattered ground. Triceramon resumed his catastrophic course, with Stingmon throwing himself on a head-on collision to protect Ken, who was still trying to move Daisuke away from the stray Digimon.

"Bring it to the screen!" Miyako yelled to the striving Digimon. Next to her, V-Mon watched the battle closely, with feelings of guilt and uselessness emerging in his tiny white chest. No matter how much he strived to evolve and help his partners, his exhaustion had condemned him to inaction.

Garurumon tackled the Digimon with a headbut, and Triceramon was thrown off his balance after the clash. Aquilamon intervened to grasp it with its claws. Met with fierce resistance from the lifted Digimon, Miyako's partner strived to retain its firm claws on. Unfortunately, after some intense struggling, Triceramon fell on the ground again. The earth quaked under its tremendous paws and Ken, already careening with Daisuke to support, barely maintained his balance.

"_Fox Fire!"_

Garurumon's unexpected blow threw Triceramon on his back. Nonetheless, it took the Digimon but a couple of seconds to regain its balance and venture a fresh attack. Lacking a better option, Angewomon flew above the running Digimon and straddled it with might. Her tight hips clustered firmly about Triceramon's sides and it growled loudly in protest. The angel placed both her hands upon its horns and handled accordingly. Eventually, she managed to direct it to Miyako and the laptop screen, flying just in time before it was absorbed in a whirlpool of light. With a sigh, Miyako closed the laptop and smiled.

"Did you get her?" Daisuke screamed to his friends, still supported by Ken. Digimon and children looked about, but the eerie woman was nowhere to be seen.

"_I'll spare you the battle for now…"_

Her voice alerted the Chosen of her presence, without betraying it. Daisuke stood petrified, with a chill of horror clawing his heart like a black vine. His heartbeats increased, predicting what her next comment would be. "But I'll be back to claim what belongs to me!" Retiring her eyes from Ken, the woman vanished, just as her rotten accomplice had before her.

"Get her!" Daisuke ordered firmly. All Digimon rose up the sky to trace her, but their attempt perished to nothingness. The woman had vanished as mysteriously as she had come.

Epilogue

PIKACHU used THUNDER!

PIKACHU's attack missed.

Enemy MEW used POUND!

Enemy MEW is hurt by the poison.

ASH used ULTRA BALL!

Alright! MEW was caught!

New POKéDEX data will be added for MEW!

Do you want to give a nickname to MEW?

"_Daisuke!"_

The redhead started up at the knock on the door. He stuffed his Game Boy under his pillow. When his mother came in, she found him fast asleep.

"Daisuke…" she rocked him gently _to wake him up_. "Daisuke, your friends are here!"

So happy was the boy, it didn't even leap to mind that he had turned off the Game Boy without saving the game. He sat up on his bed and cheered when Taichi, Miyako, Hikari, Takeru and Iori came in with a thousand smiles. His eyes anxiously counted heads, but he felt a pang of disappointment to see there was no one else other than them.

"Daisuke-kun…" Hikari spoke up with that gentleness that was always her. "How are you holding up?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but it was Miyako who spoke instead. "Don't fall for that Hikari-chan! He's faking it just to avoid doing his homework!"

"I am not! You're such a liar, Miyako-san!"

"Am I? So you're saying that if I lifted your pillow right now, I wouldn't find your Game Boy?"

The redhead ill-defended himself with a blush and his friends all roared with laughter. With the unnecessary drama and awkwardness of the moment ruined, the Chosen casually sat themselves around Daisuke's bed, teasing him as if in compensation for the lost time.

Three days had passed after the simultaneous crises in Odaiba and Tamachi and life already seemed back to normal. No Digimon strolled about the real world now and the mysterious Dark Towers that had been erected overnight were no longer a threat to anybody. The smitten areas were gradually being taken care of by community workers and volunteers who wished to see them restored to their former prestigious state.

"So? What have you all been up to while I've been home?"

"Nothing to write home about…" Taichi scratched his head. "Agumon and the others went back to the Digital World this morning…"

With Daisuke left bedraggled by their adventure, Iori, Takeru, Hikari and Miyako had undertaken the duty to return all the Digimon of the older Chosen Children to the Digital World. Even though they had been summoned just to handle the crisis in Odaiba, they would all wish to spend some more time with their partners. It was, however, agreed that they should all keep an eye on the Digital World in case some new threat arose.

"Did they get to find out anything about that woman?"

The latest crisis had left the Chosen Children with a lot of question marks. They had yet to find out who that mysterious woman was. As to her motives, along with the extent of her dangerous potential, they also remained obscure. What they all knew for sure was that they should be bracing themselves for a new mission, probably more hazardous than their previous one.

"No…" Iori mused. "But I wouldn't be surprised if we heard from her soon…"

"What about Ken?"

Here, none of the Chosen Children had anything to say. They all silenced. Daisuke's eyes moved from one to the other, receiving nothing more enlightening than fidgeting and further silence. He lowered his head with a sigh. "I suppose none of you knows how he's holding up…"

"Daisuke-san…" The boy evaded Taichi's glance, hoping his idol wouldn't be too disappointed to spare him the lecture. "Why aren't you wearing my goggles anymore? Your hair looks awful without them!"

The room once more was filled with laughter. Surprised at the older boy's comment, Daisuke beamed with delight; even though he wasn't quite sure what it meant. Conveniently enough, there was a knock on the door.

"Daisuke! Are your friends staying for lunch?"

"We were just leaving" Hikari replied, with Miyako growling in disappointment behind her. "Thank you so much!"

The children took Hikari's politeness as a cue to rise, conveniently slithering, thus, out of the much dreaded conversation about the former Kaiser and his current motives. They all knew, however, that one of these days they should give Daisuke an earful about his usual recklessness and ease in which he put himself in danger. Taichi petted the leader on the head before he opened the door. The rest of the children followed, with Takeru reluctantly staying on the spot.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked puzzled.

"I've been thinking about it for a while…" the blonde muttered. His obvious guilt outdid his reluctance to dip himself into awkward discussions. "I can never apologise enough for all those things I said to you that day… when Ken was here…"

Daisuke's face fell at the recollection of the dreadful incident. He shook his head, and shooed Takeru's obvious guilt with a broad smile, without being anywhere near to admitting he had also pushed the blonde too far.

"Next time you want to prove me wrong… just try not to be so reckless!"

Takeru offered his hand and Daisuke took it with a smile, broad enough to wipe all the bitterness away. No sooner had Takeru left, than Miyako barged in, with the most devilish grin.

"Have you caught Mew yet?"

With the memory of his earliest conquest freshened, Daisuke grabbed his pillow and threw it to the girl. Miyako easily avoided the softness of the blow by shutting the door, leaving him once again in the privacy of his bedroom.

With his Game Boy now exposed, Daisuke found some way to kill time. He leant his back to the wooden head and took it in his hands. Dejected by his negligence to save the game, though, he tossed it aside and hugged his wounded knees. In spite of his friends' reluctance to thoroughly discuss their latest confrontation in Tamachi, he was curious to know what they thought of Ken now.

His fingers toyed with the buttons of his yellow pyjama. A thought crossed his mind and he unbuckled it. He felt encouraged to notice that the purplish bruise on his chest was somewhat healed, and yet it pained him to even trace his fingers on it…

A knock on the door interrupted his contemplation. He buckled his pyjama shirt swiftly as the door opened again.

"Ken!"

Daisuke looked surprised. The boy stepped in quietly, closing the door behind him. He lifted the pillow tossed on the floor, wondering why on earth it would be of someone's convenience to walk about stumbling on a pillow once in a while. He patted on it to free it from any dust it might have collected while on the floor, and adjusted it on Daisuke's back.

The whole bedroom looked slightly more decomposed than the last time he had dropped by. Without his mother's intensive care to welcome guests, Ken could easily infer how little Daisuke cared to interfere with its cleanliness. This is why he was surprised to spot the notorious goggles on the redhead's desk, exactly where he himself had carefully placed them during his last visit.

"How are you holding up?"

"It's nothing…" Daisuke scoffed proudly. "I just needed some rest…"

"What did you tell your parents?"

"That I took a ball on the chest and fell while we were playing soccer… " Awkward moments of silence passed, with Ken refusing to turn about to face him. The boy's eyes were glued on his host's goggles, stranded on the messy wooden surface that did no justice to them or their present owner. "What about you, Ken? How have you been?"

"I'll manage…" With all the potential conversation topics off the table, their minds whirled about that one issue everyone seemed too scared to bring up. With a deep breath, Ken resumed his speech. "I never got to thank you for what you did for me…"

"Neither did I."

Their glances locked, filling them with overwhelming embarrassment. Ken was the one who broke the contact by casting his eyes on the floor, while Daisuke remained staring, as if he could thus find out what could possibly lie in his guest's mind.

"I am grateful for all you've done…" Ken bowed his head, in support of his words. _"…Whatever your reasons."_

Daisuke started up at the comment, but offered no response. Anything, from morphs to gestures and words, would betray him. Instead, his eyes followed his guest as he rose and walked to the desk. Turning around, Ken was carefully holding the goggles, the token of the Chosen's successful leadership. He stretched his hand to offer them to Daisuke.

The_ leader_ grasped them with a sigh, at the same time locking his hand into Ken's.

Neither of them smiled.

Author's note: _Whatever is implicit, must stay implicit._


End file.
